Professor Layton:The Curse of the Raven's Pendant
by DeluluandOroro Platoon
Summary: Memory loss, memory tamperment: these are just a few things happening in Regsford.  But what does the ex-theif  who joins the crew have to do with these odd events?  An Ororo & Rieko production
1. Nathan

"Oh wow, Professor! This really is fantastic!"

Hershel Layton nodded in agreement to Luke's comment. His young apprentice was standing at the bow of the ship as it left port, going down the English Channel. The day couldn't have been more perfect; it was warm and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. Professor Layton sat on a bench on the deck of the ship, holding onto his top hat so the wind wouldn't blow it overboard. Flora sat next to him with a notebook and pen, trying to think of ingredients she would need for her next recipe. Not many other people were on the deck of the ferry, because most everyone was looking for their rooms or already in it. Professor Layton was about to suggest that they find their rooms when yelling erupted elsewhere on the deck.

"Bloody little rat! Cap'n, we've got a stowaway 'ere!"

"What? A stowaway on _my _ship?"

"Let me go, let me go! I swear, I have a—ouch! That hurts!"

Layton ran to the source of the yelling, with Luke and Flora close behind. They ran to the helm of the ship to see one large man in a captain's hat and uniform looking as furious as a swarm of bees, and an even larger man holding a young boy, the boy's arms folded behind his own back so he couldn't move. The boy looked like he was about twelve years old and a little taller than Luke. He had large brown eyes, and only a few strands of blonde hair were visible underneath an enormous newsboy hat. His worn out trousers and dirty button shirt didn't look like something that a passenger of this ship would be wearing.

"Excuse me, fine gentlemen, but may you explain why you are inflicting harm on this boy?" The two men looked up at Professor Layton, looking almost shocked at his polite tone of voice. Behind the professor, Flora looked surprised and uncomfortable, while Luke looked infuriated.

The captain of the ship turned on Layton, his handlebar mustache rising and falling as he yelled. "This little brat stowed away on the ship! So unless he's traveling with you, get lost!"

The young boy looked up at the captain, still wriggling in the crewmember's grip. "I'm not a stowaway, I just dropped my ticket! Please believe me!" The large crewmember kicked the back of the boy's heel, causing him to give a small yelp.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Luke started to rush forward, but Professor Layton clutched his shoulder to hold him back.

"I do not approve of you abusing this child," Professor Layton stated, trying to keep calm. "Let him go, and we can talk this out."

The crewmember looked at the captain with confusion, and the captain grumbled. "Fine, let the brat go. I've wasted my time. But stay here with him." The captain turned and walked below deck, grumbling to himself. The crewmember looked down at the boy with disgust, and then let go of him. The boy fell to the ground, adjusting his oversized hat before rushing over to the other three. He had a slight limp from the blow he had received to his foot.

"I-I'm so sorry if I'm causing you trouble; I dropped my ticket, and because I'm so poor they thought I was a stowaway. But I'm not, please believe me!"

Professor Layton nodded, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. He was surprised at how slim the boy's shoulder was, but shrugged it off. "I understand. Now please, tell us your name."

The boy looked into the professor's eyes for a moment, and then averted his gaze. "It's Nathan," he said.

The professor smiled. "Alright, Nathan. Tell me, why are you on this ferry?"

Nathan brought his arm up to his ear, as if he were nervous. Then he let out a small breath. "I want to get away from London. I managed to save up enough money to buy a ticket, but I accidentally dropped it overboard. I'm alone, so…"

Flora tapped Professor Layton on the arm. "What should we do now?"

The professor smiled, taking his hand off of Nathan's shoulder and walking toward the large crewmember. "Excuse me, but where on the ship did you find this boy?"

The large man crossed his arms. "Starboard, near the railing. Why?"

Professor Layton chuckled. "You must have seen the boy right after he dropped his ticket overboard."

The crewmember's face twisted in rage. "Whad'ya mean by that?"

"If he really was a stowaway, he would do a much better job at hiding. Wouldn't you agree?"

With this, the crewmember walked right up to Layton, towering over him. "Fine, you win this one. But if I see this rat causin' any more trouble, I'm throwin' 'im overboard, ya hear?"

Professor Layton smiled, staying perfectly calm. "I promise you that this boy will not cause any further trouble."

The man stormed off, and Layton turned to the three children. Luke was still looking rather angry and Flora looked both relieved and nervous. Nathan, on the other hand, had shoved his hands in his pockets, his head cast downward so you could only see the top of his enormous hat. Although nobody could see it, a large purple bruise was forming on the back of Nathan's right foot, where the crewmember had kicked him.

Professor Layton walked up to Nathan, placing a hand on the boy's large newsboy hat. Nathan looked up at him, his brown eyes looking larger than before. "You will probably have to room with us, Nathan. Are you alright with that?"

"But, you don't even know me…"

Layton tipped his hat. "My, I nearly forgot. A gentleman should never forget to introduce himself. My name is Hershel Layton."

Luke stepped forward, a large smile of pride on his face as he spoke. "And I'm his apprentice, Luke Triton!"

Flora was much more modest with her introduction. "My name is Flora Reinhold."

Nathan looked at each of them with a look of confusion. "You'll let me…stay with you?"

"Of course." Professor Layton adjusted his top hat. "That is what a gentleman does."

Nathan looked up at the professor, and then looked at his shoes. "Th-thank you…"

"Now, do you have any luggage?"

Nathan shook his head, and then followed the other three below deck to room 209. When they got there, Luke and Nathan were amazed at the fancy furnishing. Luke jumped onto a red couch with excitement, while Nathan sat on a red armchair with an expression of awe. _He must be really poor, if he's never even sat in a proper armchair, _Luke thought.

"We'll be arriving at port tomorrow at nine," Layton said as he sat down next to Luke with a cup of tea. Luke was munching on a cookie, and Flora had seated herself in a rocking chair, continuing on with her recipe. Nathan had been rather uncomfortable, realizing just how out of place he was on this ship.

Luke turned to Professor Layton, half of a cookie still in his hands. "Professor, I understand why you helped Nathan, but why did you invite him to stay with us?"

Professor Layton tipped his hat, putting his cup of tea down on the small coffee table. "A gentleman always helps a lady in need, my boy."

Nathan, who had been listening in on the conversation, looked up in shock. Luke had an equally surprised expression. "What do you mean by that, Professor?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Layton stood up and turned to Nathan, who was looking at the professor with wide eyes. "The reason is unknown to me, but it seems that Nathan is not your real identity, is it?"

Flora and Luke were shocked at this, and Nathan stood up. "I'm not sure how you figured it out, but…" Nathan pulled off the enormous hat, and locks of blonde hair came down to the middle of her back. "You're correct."


	2. Natalie and Remi

Luke nearly jumped up from the sofa as he exclaimed, "What's going on here?"

The awkward child that stood before them held her hat over her chest, as if to protect herself. "My real name is Natalie. I had to pretend to be a boy, because…"

Professor Layton waited for Natalie to continue on, but she had trailed off. "I think we would all appreciate it if you told us the complete truth, Natalie."

Natalie bowed her head, looking down at her scuffed red shoes. "Alright then…but it's a long story." The professor nodded for her to go on, and Natalie sighed. "I'm from London, from the, erm, poor regions. I can hardly remember my parents, they left when I was real little. Since then, Jasper's been taking care of me. But not long after my parents left, me and Jasper were taken in by…well, I shouldn't say his name…"

Flora and Luke looked at the professor, who stayed perfectly calm. "And why not, my dear?"

"I can't let them find me…" Natalie looked as if the room had suddenly gotten cold, and Luke jumped up.

"Who are you hiding from? I don't understand!"

Professor Layton put his hand on Luke's shoulder, as if to tell him to calm down. Then, he turned to Natalie. "It's alright, you can say what you want."

The young girl looked at Layton, then Flora, then Luke, then at Layton again. She fumbled with her large hat while continuing on, her voice quiet. "I won't say the man's name, but we worked for him, along with other kids. It was a sort of child brigade, but instead of 'justice-serving' people, we were a band of thieves and pickpockets." Natalie winced as Flora and Luke gasped at this, and then continued on. "They thought I was a boy from the start, so for the most part, that's how I grew up. Jasper and I hated living like that, and we've been planning our escape for quite some time. After a while, we managed to save enough money to buy two tickets for a ferry; this ferry. We planned for our escape to be last night, but Jasper…" Natalie buried her face in her hat.

Professor Layton looked serious, but still had a warm smile on his face. "If you want to stop, then you can, my dear."

Natalie shook her head, and then separated her face from the hat. "They caught Jasper, but I kept going. He told me that he would be fine, but I can't stop worrying about him."

Flora had a look of sad sympathy on her face. "Who is Jasper? You keep mentioning him.

Natalie didn't even glance at Flora, but just kept gazing into space. "He's my brother. My best friend…"

The other three looked at each other with puzzlement, not knowing what to do. Luke finally broke the silence. "Professor…what will we do now?"

Professor Layton walked over to Natalie and knelt down so that he looked up into her face, his hands on her shoulders. "I would like to invite you to travel with us, Natalie."

Natalie looked at the professor, her eyes wide. "But, I couldn't…I don't have any money to repay you, a-and I won't be very useful—,"

"You'll help us to solve a case, that's all."

The professor stood up and walked over to a brown briefcase in the corner of the room, rummaging through its contents. Natalie looked at him with curiosity. "A…case?"

Professor Layton walked over to Natalie with an envelope in hand. He went to hand it to her, but she shook her head. "I can't read," she said.

The professor stood up, putting the letter inside his coat. "Luke, would you explain the case to Natalie? I'm going to see what the dinner times are."

Professor Layton walked out of the room, leaving the three children alone. The room was in silence for what felt like a long time, until Luke coughed. "You can take a seat if you want…" Natalie nodded and sat in the armchair, putting the newsboy hat back on her head. She didn't put her hair in the hat, which made her appearance almost comical. Luke continued on. "We're traveling to the port town of Regsford, where odd things have been happening. I'm not sure of the exact incidents, but people have been losing their memories or thinking they're someone they're not."

Flora, who had clearly not heard about the current case yet, looked puzzled. "But what's causing it?"

Luke shrugged. "Who knows? That's what we need to find out. And who knows how many puzzles will be in this case!"

Natalie was about to question this when the ferry lurched, causing the professor's tea cup to fall off the table and shatter on the ground. Flora's rocking chair fell over, and Luke rushed over to see if she was alright. The ship went back to normal, but it was obvious that not everything was alright when Professor Layton burst into the room. "Luke, come quickly!"

Luke got up from the ground, helping Flora stand. "What's wrong, Professor?"

"No time to explain, my boy!"

Professor Layton and Luke ran off, their steps echoing through the empty hallways of the ship. Flora looked over at Natalie, who was tucking her blonde hair back inside the newsboy hat. "I think we ought to follow them," Natalie said. Flora nodded, and they ran up to the deck of the ferry.

/

Luke was standing at the bow of the ship, looking into the water with amazement. Professor Layton stood behind him, adjusting his top hat as he looked out into the waves. The young apprentice couldn't believe his eyes. "What the…?" Floating out in the water was at least a dozen small lifeboats, none of them with people inside. Luke looked up at Professor Layton. "Professor, are those from this ship?"

The professor nodded. "It would appear so. It also appears that this was no accident."

Luke's eyes widened. "You mean someone cut the lines of the life boats? But why?"

Professor Layton tipped his hat slightly over his face. "I'm not sure, my boy."

/

Flora and Natalie were standing next to the starboard railing, near the helm of the ship. Half a dozen empty lifeboats were in the water on the starboard side, drifting off into open water. The two girls could hardly believe their eyes, but their shock was broken by a loud voice.

"Oi, you!" The two girls turned around to see a large crewmember; the very same one that had kicked Natalie earlier. But now, he looked angrier than ever. "This is your fault, ya little rodent!" Natalie was about to protest when the man picked her up by the wrist, making her cry out in pain at his tight grip. "That posh man isn't 'ere to protect ya now, boy! I'm keepin' my word, and you're goin' overboard!"

"Leave him alone!"

Natalie looked in the direction of the voice she didn't recognize. A few feet behind Flora stood a woman with long brown hair, wearing a yellow fencing uniform. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked fearless. "Put the boy down, now!"

The crewmember didn't put Natalie down, but instead laughed. "You think you can boss me around, woman? Ha! Ya don't know the trouble this worm's been causin', so get lost!" He was about to throw Natalie over the railing when the young woman rushed forward and punched the crewmember in the stomach, causing him to keel over and drop Natalie onto the deck of the ship.

The large man stood up again, more angry than ever. "Why, you—!" He aimed a punch at her, only to have her block it and punch him in the face. He backed away a few steps, and then grunted and ran below deck.

The woman sighed, not seeming to be exhausted at all by the fight. "Now that that's over with…" She turned to Natalie, who was still sitting on the deck of the ship, clutching her bruised wrist. Natalie and Flora were both staring at the woman with amazement, but she paid no mind to it. "Are you alright?" Natalie nodded, and the woman smiled.

Footsteps could be heard running to them from the bow of the ship, and sure enough, Luke and the professor were rushing towards the three of them. Luke looked almost out of breath. He saw Natalie's bruised wrist and gave a little shout of surprise. "What happened here?"

The woman who had saved Natalie turned to the professor, smiling. "Long time, no see, Hershel."

Professor Layton was surprised, but tried to stay calm. "It has been a while, Remi."


	3. Margret, or Winifred?

Flora blinked at the professor and Luke, who both looked rather surprised to see Remi. "You…know her?"

Natalie stood up, not bothering to shake the dust off of her already dirty trousers. She walked up to Remi, still with a slight limp. Natalie nodded her head, only making eye contact with Remi for a second before looking away. "Thank you very much."

Remi looked down at the odd girl for a moment before smiling. "No problem."

Professor Layton smiled at the scene. "Dinner will be starting soon. Would you like to join us, Remi? We do have some catching up to do."

"We certainly do, Hershel, Luke."

The professor led the way to the dining hall with Luke right at his side. Flora was talking to Remi behind them, and Natalie was at the very back of the group, looking uncomfortable. Her hands were in her pockets, and she walked with hunched shoulders, as if hoping to not be noticed.

"How do you know Luke and the professor?" Flora was curious about Remi. Luke and Professor Layton both knew Remi, but Flora had no idea who she was. Seeing her beat the enormous crewman without a sweat only peaked Flora's curiosity more.

Remi smiled. "Hershel and I have been friends for quite some time. I met Luke about three years ago, even before he self-proclaimed himself as Hershel's 'apprentice'."

Flora cocked her head to the side. "Luke and the professor have known each other for over three years? Wow…"

The party of five arrived at the doorway to the dining hall. Natalie peered over Remi's shoulder and gasped at what she saw. Inside were tables with clean white tablecloths, glasses that looked like crystal, and plates so clean that Natalie assumed she would be able to see her own reflection on them. There were only a few unoccupied tables, and the food on the occupied tables all looked delicious. Natalie didn't even realize that her mouth was watering until the maître-de arrived. He was a little shorter than Remi, with a thin appearance and no hair on his head. "Five for dinner, sir?" he addressed to the professor.

"Yes, please," Professor Layton said, and the maître-de led them to an empty table, giving reluctant glances at Natalie. Each of them were handed a menu, and then the maître-de took his leave. A waitress came by and took the orders for their drinks, coming back with two glasses of water, two glasses of juice, and one cup of tea. Professor Layton turned to Natalie, who sat between him and Remi. "Have you decided what you want to eat?"

Natalie was fiddling with her hands in her lap, and then looked up at the professor. "I-I shouldn't…I can't afford anything here, it's all so fancy…"

Professor Layton tipped his hat. "Nonsense, my dear. I'll pay for your meal, I insist."

Natalie saw no point in arguing with the professor, and ordered stew. Professor Layton chuckled to himself, knowing that this was the cheapest meal on the menu—Natalie didn't want to spend his money. A little while later, their food came, and Natalie stared at her food with awe, as if she had never seen anything so delicious in her life. Although she wanted to savour every bite of the stew, her meal disappeared long before any of the others did.

Remi put her fork down, ignoring her half-eaten chicken. "So Hershel," she said, looking at Professor Layton, "why are you on this ferry?"

Professor Layton took a sip of tea, then put down his cup. "We're heading to Regsford, to investigate the odd…occurrences that have been happening."

Remi laughed. "I should have guessed. Now, in your letters, I've heard about Flora here,"—she nodded at Flora—"but I haven't heard about this girl here." Remi looked at Natalie.

Natalie sighed. "Yet again, someone has seen through my disguise."

Remi patted her on the back. "It's alright, it was a very good disguise. So what is your name?"

The young cross-dresser smirked. "My name is Natalie." She continued trying to scrape out every drop of the stew out of the bowl with her spoon, seeming to put her entire attention into the task.

Luke looked up from his steak and at Professor Layton. "Professor, I didn't know you were keeping in touch with Remi."

The professor smiled. "We don't send letters that often, but it's nice to be able to talk with old friends, my boy." He turned to Remi. "Now, what are _you _doing on this ferry?"

Remi smirked. "I was contacted by the Scotland Yard to help out with the case in Regsford. So, in other words, I'm here for the same reason you are."

/

"No, take my bed, I insist. I'll sleep on the couch."

"You've done enough for me already! Besides, I don't need a bed!"

Luke was in Flora's room with her, sitting on the floor. Flora was sitting on her bed, still pondering over her recipe. In the main room, Natalie and the professor had gotten into a "discussion" on whether Natalie should sleep in Professor Layton's bed and he got the couch, or vice versa. To Luke, it sounded more like an argument than a "discussion". He sighed, closing his eyes.

Flora tapped the end of the pen against her lower lip, deep in thought. "Hm…Luke, do you think that I need to add more salt into my recipes?"

Just then, a knock was heard at the door of room 209. Luke heard Professor Layton open the door and say, "Ah, Inspector Chelmy, come in."

Luke and Flora walked into the main room to see Inspector Chelmy in the doorway, with Barton behind him. Behind Barton stood a tall man with a pointy nose and a small girl who looked about five years old. She wore all black, and a frown was creased on her pale face. The man who Luke assumed to be the girl's father didn't look very happy either, his eyes looking worried behind his large spectacles.

"Ah, Professor Letton! Good to see you again!"

"Actually, it's Layton"—

"We'd like you to help us with questioning this girl here. Her name's Margret Goth, although…"

The young girl interrupted, obviously angry. "For the last time, that is not my name! My name is Winifred Anders, so get it right!" The man next to her tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away. The man adjusted his glasses, looking shell shocked.

Professor Layton walked up to the young girl, a calm smile on his face. "It isn't very lady like to slap someone, my dear. Now, would you like to take a seat? I'll make us some tea."

Margret/Winifred seemed to calm down at this, and sat down in the centre of the sofa, her hands folded in her lap. Luke had never seen anything like it; the girl only looked five years old, but she had the posture of an adult. He sat down in the armchair, keeping a close eye on the girl. Chelmy and Barton didn't take a seat, and the man who came with the young girl sat as far away from her on the couch as possible. Flora sat in the rocking chair, and Natalie stood in the corner, disguised as a boy again. Chelmy gave her an odd look, but didn't get to say anything when Layton walked in with a tray with eight tea cups and a fancy looking tea pot. Natalie seemed to eye the tray for a moment before looking away, shaking her head.

Professor Layton took a sip of tea before setting it down on the table and looking at Margret/Winifred. "Tell me, my dear, would you rather have me address you as Margret or Winifred?"

The small girl looked up. "Winifred. And don't call me 'dear', I don't like it."

The professor nodded. "Of course. Now, I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure of what I need to interview you about."

Inspector Chelmy stepped in. "This girl's from Regsford, and got the sudden idea that she's not Margret Goth, but someone else entirely. The girl's father took her to London to seek medical help, but couldn't find anything. Only one of many cases like this in Regsford, though."

Professor Layton nodded, and looked down at the girl again. "Is what the inspector said true?"

She looked angry again, looking up at the professor with loathing eyes. "Don't treat me like a child. I am not Margret Goth, I am Winifred Anders. I don't even know Margret Goth. I'm twenty-eight years old, I've lived in Regsford since I was three, my husband died two years ago, and I live in a shack on the edge of town. My birthday is December first, and I have two older brothers who both live in France. What more information do you need than that?"

The professor put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Alright, so your name is Winifred Anders. How would you end up as a young girl who you don't even know?"

Winifred clutched her teacup, her knuckles turning white. "I don't know how. I've been trying to figure it out, but I can't think properly with this puny child's brain!"

Professor Layton turned to Chelmy. "Inspector, how many cases like this are there in Regsford?"

Inspector Chelmy shrugged. "I don't have an exact number, since most of the cases probably haven't even been reported. And even if they were reported, I probably wouldn't be able to remember the number. There's been so many bloody reports already."

The professor noticed how dark it was outside, and Margret/Winifred was excused, the spectacled man following close behind. Chelmy and Barton left soon afterwards, the inspector mumbling about how kids have overactive imaginations. After they left, Luke looked up at Professor Layton, who seemed lost in thought. "What do you think of this case, Professor?"

Professor Layton looked down at Luke, smiling. "I'm not quite sure, my boy. But every puzzle has an answer; we'll solve this case soon enough. In the meantime, I think it's about time we go to bed."

Luke yawned and went into his room, and Flora stood next to the sofa. "Professor, Natalie fell asleep." Sure enough, Natalie was out cold on the sofa, her hat covering her face. Professor Layton put a blanket on the girl, then went to his room. Flora opened the door to her room, and looked over at the sleeping girl. "Good night, Natalie."


	4. Gears and Figures

Professor Layton jolted awake when the ship gave a lurch, his top hat tipping over his eyes. He pushed it back up and looked around. It was still dark outside; he figured it must have been nearly four in the morning. The ship seemed to have recovered from its sudden shake, but the professor's intuition told him that something was definitely wrong. The ship wasn't moving again. He started changing out of his night clothes and into his trousers and orange sweater.

Luke sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes, stifling a yawn. He looked over and saw Professor Layton pulling on his jacket, and then shoving his feet into his shoes. Luke groaned tiredly. "Whaz goin on, Provezah…?" he slurred.

Professor Layton looked up at Luke, still putting on his shoes. "Luke, get up and get dressed. Quickly, my boy." Luke was about to point out that it was still night when the professor rushed out of their room, going to wake up Natalie and Flora. The young boy figured something urgent must be going on for the professor to be acting like this, and he started to get dressed.

Luke walked out of the room to see Natalie still asleep on the couch, and Flora's bedroom door open. He walked in to see Professor Layton trying to shake Flora awake, but the more he tried, the more the girl buried her face into the pillow.

"Flora, this is urgent! Please get up, quickly!"

"Neh…I don't want to go dancing…"

Professor Layton looked up to Luke, still looking worried. "Luke, could you try to wake up Natalie? My hands are a bit full right now…"

Luke nodded and went into living room, rushing over to Natalie. Her hat had fallen off while she slept, and it was lying on the floor like a discarded toy. Natalie's golden locks had splayed out over the small pillow her head rested on, and her face looked so peaceful. This image reminded Luke of a fairytale he read when he was little about a princess who was put to sleep for a hundred years, until some prince came along and broke the curse. This sudden thought made Luke hesitate for a moment before he started to gently shake Natalie. "Um, time to wake up…"

Natalie's eyes suddenly snapped open and she sat up, making Luke jump up. She seemed to still be half-asleep, making her unaware of what was around her. "Oh no! I overslept, I overslept! The boss will be mad, really mad!" In the girl's clumsy haste to try to get up, she fell off the couch, groaning as she sat up.

"Are you alright, Natalie?" Luke almost shouted, concerned for the girl. At least she was awake.

Natalie brought a shaking hand up to her forehead, her eyes wide. "Right…I'm not in London…" She tucked all of her hair back into her hat, and looked over to Luke with a forced smile. "What's going on?"

Professor Layton came in with a now almost-awake Flora, only taking a brief glance to make sure everyone was awake before opening the door and running into the hall. Luke and Natalie chased after him with Flora behind them.

/

Remi stood on the deck of the ship, looking around to try to figure out what had happened. Footsteps could be heard coming from below deck, but she had a pretty good idea of who it probably was. Sure enough, Professor Layton rushed out to the deck, with the three children close behind.

"Wonderful morning, isn't it, Hershel?" Remi said sarcastically.

Professor Layton ignored the joke. "Remi, do you have any idea what's going on?"

Remi shook her head. "I have no idea. I just woke up when the ship stopped, but no one's on deck. From the looks of it, you guys only just woke up as well." Professor Layton turned to see Luke rubbing his eyes to try to stay awake as Flora leaned against him with her eyes closed, using his hat as a sort of pillow.

Natalie, on the other hand, seemed wide awake. "Do you think that something's wrong with the engine?"

Professor Layton nodded. "That is a possibility, Natalie. Perhaps we should investigate the matter." The professor started to head back below deck with Natalie right behind him, as Remi lead the two half-asleep children behind. The passenger quarters were almost completely silent, with the exception of the echoing of footsteps of the party of five. Below the passenger quarters were the crew quarters, and those were quiet for the most part as well. But below that was the engine room, and although there were only a few crew members there, the entire room was in absolute chaos.

"Wh-what on earth happened to it?"

"The gears are all messed up! The captain's sure to kill us!"

"I knew we shouldn't have left for a bite to eat!"

There were three crew members there, and all of them were panicking so much that they didn't even notice when the professor and the rest walked in. "Excuse me, but what seems to be the problem here?"

All three of the crew members stopped talking and looked at the professor. A crew member that was exceptionally tall and thin stepped forward, fiddling his thumbs nervously. "The gears in the engine have all been switched up somehow. Until we fix it, the ship won't be able to run!"

Professor Layton stepped past the three crewmembers and toward a large rectangular prism about the size of a wardrobe with clockwork-like gears inside. "Amazing," he said. "I've never seen an engine such as this able to run a ship before…"

A short and round crew member with a flattened face raised a finger. "This is one of the first commercial ships ever built with an engine that doesn't depend on coal or natural gas. But, the gears can be difficult to manage sometimes…They need almost constant surveillance."

Remi put her hands on her hips. "When we walked in, one of you said something about 'leaving for a bite to eat'! Doesn't that mean you're not doing your job if you can't even watch a few gears for a bit?"

The third crew member, this one tall and large around the middle, stepped forward. "We hadn't even left for ten minutes! We came back, and the gears had been tampered with!"

The professor turned from the gears. "These clearly were tampered with; there was nothing accidental about this. But our first priority is to get this ship running again." He turned to his apprentice to see if he wanted to help with the puzzle, but Luke was sitting with his back against the wall, fast asleep. Professor Layton turned to Remi. "Remi, I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me with this."

Remi smirked. "The pleasure is all mine, Hershel."

/

"Consider this puzzle solved," Professor Layton said as he pulled a lever. Remi and the three crew members watched nervously as the gears began creaking. After a few seconds, the gears started spinning, as good as new. The crew member trio looked at each other in shock, and then started showering the professor with praises. Professor Layton adjusted his top hat, but then frowned. Remi had been helping him with the engine. Luke was sitting against the wall, snoring lightly. Flora was also asleep, but she had actually curled up on the floor, using her hands as a pillow. But…

Professor Layton turned to Remi. "Where's Natalie?"

Remi looked taken aback, and looked around. "She's not here…? But, I'm sure she came with us!"

The short member of the trio looked confused. "What are you talking about? You four were the only ones here."

"Oh no…" the professor muttered, and he made a movement towards the door, but Remi beat him to it.

"I'll find her. You stay with Luke and Flora!" Professor Layton was about to protest, but Remi was already off.

/

Natalie grunted as she felt a large meaty hand close around her neck and pin her to the wall. The red face of the crew member that had hurt her two times before this encounter came so close to hers that she could feel saliva shower her face when he spoke. "Alright, ya mouse! Tell us what's goin' on or I'll throttle you!"

The girl didn't even bother trying to pry his hand off her throat, she knew it would just waste her energy. She'd been in this situation a few times before in London. There were five other men gathered around her and the crew member, and she knew if she tried anything funny, she'd have six pairs of fists pummeling her. The six of them had pulled her into a side room while she was walking; nobody had even noticed, because the Professor was running ahead of her, and Remi was busy with Luke and Flora. "Wh-what do you m-mean?" she stammered, her breathes short.

"I mean what I say I mean!" The crew member's face was even closer now, and his breath was hot and smelly. "The life boats were cut off! The engine's not workin' right! Food was snagged from the kitchens! It all points to you, boy!"

Natalie winced as the man's grip around her throat grew tighter. The lack of breath caused her vision to go dark and blurry; she knew she'd die if she was like this for much longer. "F-food…stolen…?"

At that moment, one of the crew members let out a shout as he flew across the room before hitting the wall and sliding down, unconscious. A dark figure stood where the crew member had just previously been, a bowler hat covering his face. Natalie squinted to try to see who it was, but her vision was getting darker, making it only possible to see the outline of the figure.

"Oi! You!" Another crew member lunged at the figure, aiming a punch at him. The figure merely stepped aside, grabbed the man's arm, and flipped him onto his back. Another man jumped forward to kick the figure, but the figure grabbed his leg and threw him across the room. The remaining two men both lunged at the same time, and the figure remained still. When the two men were close, the figure dropped to the ground and swung an outstretched leg around, sweeping the crew members off their feet. They were both dazed, and the figure took this opportunity to club them both over the head, knocking them unconscious. The figure turned to the crew member that was holding up Natalie, the bowler hat obscuring all of the face except for a small smirk.

The crew member was about to shout out when the figure punched him in the jaw, sending the crew member teetering back a few seconds before falling flat on his back. Natalie had fallen to the floor the moment the crew member had released his grip on her throat, coughing and spluttering. Her vision was foggy and dark still, but it felt so good to breath again. She heard footsteps coming from down the hall outside of the room, and she managed to catch one last glimpse of the figure before it left the room, speeding away from her.

"Natalie! Natalie, where are you?" It was Remi's voice, Natalie was sure of it. She coughed, trying to speak, but no voice came out. Her neck was throbbing, and her lungs felt as though they were on fire. Natalie continued coughing, her vision only getting a bit better.

Remi had heard the coughing from the hallway. She ran down the hall as it got louder, and she stopped when she came across a doorway, the sound of the coughing coming from inside. Remi burst into the room and could hardly believe her eyes. There were six unconscious crew members lying on the ground, clearly attacked by someone. And there was Natalie, sitting on the ground and clutching her chest.

"Natalie!" Remi exclaimed as she kneeled next to the girl. Natalie continued coughing, but she seemed to be settling down now. Remi took a closer look at the girl and let out a gasp. "Your neck…it's covered in bruises! What happened?"

Natalie stopped coughing, and took in a few deep breaths. She looked up at Remi with watering eyes, and then gasped, as if realizing something. She jumped up and ran to the opened door, looking up and down the hallway. Nobody was there.

A groan came from the man who had Natalie by the neck earlier. Remi immediately picked him up by the collar of his jacket, fury written all over her face. "Just what happened here? Answer me right now!"

The crew member groaned. "Ugh…you again? Can't ya just gimme a break?"

"No way!" Remi shouted. "Tell me what happened right now, or you'll be unconscious again!"

The crew member coughed. "Don't you go threatenin' me…Ugh, I don't even have the energy to pick a fight with you…Or that bratty kid…Fine. We were down here, tellin' the rat what's what, and this guy came along…Beat the starch outta us in seconds flat…"

Remi tightened her grip on the collar of the man's shirt, infuriated. "Don't play the innocent card! I know you dragged the boy into here and started beating on him again. Judging from the bruises on his neck, you even tried to kill him! I will notify the police of this, and you will be charged with abuse. And that's if I decide to go easy on you." Remi dropped the man back onto the floor and walked over to Natalie. "Are you alright?" Natalie nodded, still not feeling quiet good enough to talk. Remi smiled. "Good. We'll find the others, and then take care of those bruises of yours."

/

Professor Layton handed Natalie an ice pack, which she placed on her neck. The professor, Remi, and Natalie were all in the living room of room 209, and Luke and Flora had gone back to bed. Natalie was seated on the couch, her breathing slightly harsh and the bruises on her neck swelling, but otherwise fine. Remi was pacing, still trying to get over her anger. Although the professor maintained his normal calm composure, it was clear he was worried about Natalie.

Remi turned to Natalie. "The man said someone came and beat them all…but do you know who it was?"

Natalie looked at her, and then looked down. "It can't be him…That's impossible. But if it's not him…I don't know who it could be." The girl looked at Professor Layton, and then at Remi. "They said something about food being stolen from the kitchen…maybe that has something to do with whoever rescued me."

Professor Layton nodded. "That is a possibility, but only if the person was a stowaway. If the person is a stowaway, that would explain why they were down in the lower compartments of the ship. Do you think it could be your brother, Natalie?"

Natalie shook her head, and looked out the window. The sun was only just starting to rise, leaving the lighting at a low orange glow. "I'd like to believe it…but I can't. I left without him…"


End file.
